Old Jail Exhibit
117 W San Antonio St

Hours
1st Saturday of Oct, Nov, Dec
10 am - 3 pm
​
Admission
$2.00 ~ general (6 & up)
​free ~ 5 & under

Tickets
cash accepted on location
​pay by credit card online


​HISTORY OF THE OLD JAIL
One of Fredericksburg's most unique buildings was constructed by the firm C.F. Priess and Brothers at a cost of $9,962 and was used for prisoner lockup until 1939. ​Of note, this is the fourth jail built in town after previous structures proved inadequate and one burned down.

The 2000 square foot building comprises four rooms downstairs and five cells upstairs. The ground floor housed a holding cell which later became a female cell. Rooms at the rear of the ground floor were used for the jailer's living quarters. The second floor has two steel clad cells located against the east wall and a maximum security cell in the center. The five foot stone wall surrounding the jail was topped with embedded broken glass to discourage prisoners from attempting to scale the wall to escape. The glass has been removed in recent years.

The jail and property wall were restored by the Fredericksburg Heritage Foundation in the late 1970s and the Old Jail was recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark in 1980. Until recently, the building was used by Gillespie County for storage. As of August 12, 2019, it is now under the watchful eyes of the Gillespie County Historical Society.